I slide my entire hand across her back before taking a step back. “Who was that?” I ask.
She swallows, her cheeks a light shade of pink as she widens the gap between us by taking an additional step back. “Thanks for that. He’s just some guy I have a class with. I nearly agreed to see a bug exhibit with him.”
“You invited him tonight?”
“I didn’t have to. The entire sophomore class is here. Did Ethan make it, yet?”
I nod. “I was going to go introduce him to Hannah.”
Hadley’s brow pinches. “He’s not a jerk, right?”
“What?”
“Ethan. I don’t want to introduce him to her if he’s an asshole.”
“I don’t know much about him,” I admit.
“Will you tell him that if he is an asshole to her, I will make it my college mission to make his life miserable?”
Loyalty.
For me, it’s the most disarming quality of a woman. Ideas of creating a channel between us swiftly dies.
“Make me sound vicious.” She flashes a smile, then takes a step back, and another, until she disappears into the crowd.
Every impulse says to follow her, but instead, I stick to my word and find Ethan again. This time, he’s alone, looking out of place as he finishes a beer.
“I have a friend you should meet,” I tell him.
Ethan looks at me with raised brows. “Yeah?”
“She’s good friends with my sister, so I’ll disembowel you if you act like a tool, but…”
He visibly blanches.
I nod, finding Hannah in the crowd so I can point her out. “Blonde with glasses, blue shirt.”
“Is this a test?” Ethan asks.
I shake my head. “She asked if I knew you.”
He lifts his brow. “I don’t think I’m following…”
“If you want to meet her, I’ll introduce you, if you don’t, I’ll make an excuse on your behalf.”
“She’s interested in me?”
“You heard the disemboweling part, right?”
Ethan nods. “Loud and clear.” He turns to look at Hannah a second time. “I’m game.”
We cross the dining room to reach Hannah. Her smile is instant, revealing just how interested she is in him. “Hey, Hannah, this is Ethan. Ethan, Hannah.”
Hannah nods. “Yeah, we have a class together.”
“We do?”
She nods again. “Yeah. Professor Smith’s class.”